Chapter Thirty

A Bad Idea

Appa hovered in the air beside the mouth of the drain. Aang tugged at it a few times, and Sokka began to think that it wasn't going to budge. Perhaps their desperate rescue attempt would end in failure before it began, and they would have to set off without the king. Or maybe they could come up with another solution.

Finally, Aang managed to pry the drain open and a flood of horrid water and other… things flowed out. Aang took the lead, and Katara followed him. The two of them used their bending to keep the horrendous fluid from covering them, but they had evidently forgotten to extend such courtesy to Sokka. He grew annoyed quickly, and called to his sister in a hoarse whisper.

"Katara! Help me not get covered in this filthy water too, if you don't mind!"

"Oh, right, sorry," Katara said, and she immediately included him in her protection. Sokka was grateful. He was beginning to feel the fatigue that he should have felt in the long weeks since… well, he had forgone food and sleep for too long, he realized. He had eaten sparingly, and slept very little. He had relied on the Mantle to sustain him, and he was beginning to feel the desire to wear it now. Perhaps it was for the trials ahead that he wanted to take it up, to let the shadow course through him. Or, maybe, he just wanted to feel the strength.

They made their way out of the sewer in short order, and Sokka took the lead before they came out of the underground. He opened the gate, and pulled Koh's Shadow to his ears. With the power concentrated in that spot, he could hear with incredible clarity. He could hear the tromp of a squad of soldiers turning a corner and moving away from them, and the quiet and fearful conversations of families in their homes. He swallowed and ignored the voices of the conquered citizens, focusing instead on his search for approaching footsteps. There were none.

"Alright," He said quietly, "Let's go. Stay together, and Katara, guard the rear. I'll be able to hear anyone coming close, but stay alert anyway."

The two others nodded, and Sokka was disturbed when he found he could hear the tendons and bones in their necks move around. It was not a pleasant discovery; he found it rather nauseating for some reason. He grimaced and pulled himself out of the sewer. With an effort of will he condensed the shadow around them to conceal their presence. In a few moments Aang and Katara were out and the grate was replaced.

With a quick hand sign that they had come up with while planning the mission, he motioned the group forward. Katara and Aang bent low to the ground while they walked, but Sokka carried himself normally, albeit with a sense of urgency. Upon noticing his companions walking in the most suspicious manner possible, he stopped. Aang and Katara stopped too and glanced at him.

"What?" Aang asked, and then looked around as if he was expecting an owl-cat to jump out at them with a flaming spear.

"Stop walking like a pair of goblins!" He hissed.

"What's a goblin?" Katara asked.

"It's an ugly little greenish-gray man who walks around like the two of you! We're trying to be inconspicuous. We probably won't be seen, but if we are then all of this," He crouched down and bent over, waving his hands in the air in a very ridiculous fashion, "is going to make us stand out!"

Aang grinned sheepishly, and Katara furrowed her brows in annoyance. The pair of them straightened up and then the three of them began walking again. Before long, Sokka held up a hand in the gesture that they had assigned to mean stop. The infiltrators stood in the shadow of two buildings, and though it was already dark enough in the starless night that they were unlikely to be noticed, Sokka pulled at the shadow to help conceal them.

A contingent of nine soldiers walked past them. They stopped before the gap between buildings that the would-be rescuers were hiding in. A spearman carrying a lantern walked towards them and casually held up his light. He frowned slightly when he couldn't see any farther into the darkness. He moved to step forwards and inspect more closely when one of his comrades called out to him.

"Eh, it's probably fine, Shen. I doubt that there's anyone lurking around here, and besides, I want to finish our patrol before the rain starts." The lead soldier said.

Shen paused, and turning around he said, "Are you sure Sergeant?"

The sergeant nodded and Shen rejoined the group. They walked off to finish their patrol, and Katara smiled. She leaned in to Aang and whispered, "...And they're off like a herd of turtles."

Aang's eyebrows rose in mild curiosity. "What does that mean?"

"It means that they're not very good at their jobs." Sokka said dryly.

Aang snorted quietly and they continued on their way. The darted through a few allies as they followed Aang's directions to the upper tiers of the city. Before long they came to the first stair leading to the next tier. It was heavily guarded by dozens of bored and discontent looking soldiers. The three of them exchanged worried looks, and Aang bid them to follow him. They raced through the city around the high wall made by the next tier for a short time, until Aang made the sign for them to stop.

"If we can climb up here, we'll be able to cross the city without running into any of the other stairways. We'll have to climb a lot though since they're probably guarding all of the steps."

Sokka nodded. Katara pulled water from a rain barrel and coated her arms in it, forming the water into long tentacles. She looked at Sokka and said "I can lift you when I get to the top."

Slightly affronted at the suggestion, Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Only if you get up there first."

Katara snorted and shot him a quick smile before latching onto the stone wall with her bending. She started to climb but Aang bid them to wait. "Let me go first, that way I can make sure that nobody is coming."

Sokka nodded at the suggestion but focused on his hearing. " I can't hear anything, but go up first anyway. I don't know if I can concentrate on my hearing and still have the ability to climb faster than Katara."

Katara rolled her eyes, and Aang flew up the wall with his glider. When he reached the top he alighted and gave his surroundings a quick scan. Seeing nothing he waved the hand signal for them to follow. Katara was about to ascend when Sokka lightly smacked her on the shoulder.

"What?" She said.

"Wanna race?" Sokka said back.

Katara looked at him and smiled slightly. "Is this the time for games?"

"Chicken!" Sokka said with a crooked grin. His sister rolled her eyes.

"On three. One. Two. Three!"

The pair of them rushed to the wall and began to climb. Sokka had expected the race to be close, as he had become far faster than Katara since his last meeting with the Face Stealer. Evidently, he wasn't fast enough to keep pace with her when she used her bending to help her along. In seconds she was up and over the top of the wall, while Sokka was still climbing the thirty feet of stone. He made remarkable progress. Far better than he would have done without the Mantle, but it still took him half a minute to crest the tier.

"What was that about getting up here first?"

"I may have overestimated my abilities."

Aang snorted with laughter. Sokka grinned in mild embarrassment, and the three of them continued on their way. They didn't come across any unexpected obstacles, and soon they were on the tier that Bumi was being held on. They sheltered in the shadow of a building, and waited for the first patrol to pass them by. There were six squads patrolling this tier of the city. They would make a circuit of the perimeter and then march through the courtyard that the Mad King was being held over. Once this squad passed through, they would have a little more than ten minutes before the next one came. As soon as the first group passed, Sokk would make his way to the palace and scale the wall to stand watch on the roof.

"...Alright, here they come," Sokka said.

"Which group is it?" Katara asked.

"I think its squad pig-chicken." Sokka replied. They had assigned each squad of soldiers a name. Sokka had intended just to number them, but Aang had suggested giving them animal names that were relative to how efficient each group was. Pig-chicken was one of the less efficient squads.

"That's good. Means the next group will be turtle-duck. Should be easier to get up there with them than others." Katara whispered. Sokka nodded in agreement. He put his hand on his sword and drew it out partially. The silver glow had returned.

"Alright." He said in a whisper, "Once this squad gets outside the courtyard, I'll get into position. One of you keep an eye on the palace roof. I'll draw my sword and the light will be your signal. One flash means they're almost here, two means you're good to go."

"What if we have to get out of here?" Aang asked.

Sokka shook his head, "If it comes to that, then you'll hear the signal. Won't be able to miss it."

They waited in silence for a moment, and Aang spoke again. "What's your sword called? I never asked."

Sokka was silent for a moment as he looked in the middle distance, his eyes focused on the past. He frowned slightly before returning to them. "It was named Moonlight, but I changed it after…" He trailed off.

Katara and Aang exchanged a quick look, a message of compassion flowing between them. Katara broke the glance and asked, "What's it called now?"

"... Regret."

Aang opened his mouth to speak, and then he closed it again. He blinked once and nodded. Katara, however, was not willing to let the name pass without comment.

"Regret?" She asked. Sokka wasn't sure how to interpret the tone, so he decided to explain.

"It's… Because I wish it hadn't come to this. After the siege of the north pole, after Yue… I guess I understand what it means to take a life. I realized how many mistakes I've made, and I wish that I knew then what I do now. So when I bare my sword at an enemy, I want them to know that I regret what might come of it, and that they should regret making an enemy of me."

There was silence for a few heartbeats, and Sokka continued. "More than that, I guess, it's… If I had been faster, or stronger, or smarter, or... I don't know. If I hadn't hesitated when I had the chance to kill Zhao, then she might still be with us."

"There are others like him. I can see it in them, it's like their spirits are rotten, beyond saving. Maybe if I had…"

Sokka felt an ache in his chest, and the hole that had been born with Yue's leaving seemed to burn and freeze inside of him. He swallowed past the tightness in his throat and shook his head.

"Sokka…" Katara said, but her brother raised a hand in the signal they had designated to mean silence. She was going to protest, but the tramp of armored boots alerted them to the presence of the pig-chicken guard squad.

"...and then I said, 'you look like you eat sand! Don't throw stones, lady!' and well, she didn't take kindly to that. Yeah, so, that's how I got the scar on my ear." One of the soldiers said, and it was followed by a roar of boisterous laughter.

"I can't believe you're not married, with that silver tongue!" One of the other squad members quipped. A third man snorted, and the first man said, "Right?! And my mom always said it was made of lead!"

More laughter sounded as the guards walked out of the courtyard. Sokka was surprised that the conversation of the guards could force his mouth to quirk upwards, but the idea of someone eating sand did the trick. Despite his previous melancholy, the gaiety of their conversation had managed to lift his spirits. The people of the Fire Nation weren't so bad, he thought, it was their Fire Lord who was the problem. No, he reconsidered, it was Vaatu. He had taken hold of the Fire Lords, starting with Sozin. He had almost taken Zuko, but the prince had thrown it off. He wondered why he hadn't been able to influence Azula…

His hand floated down to the pouch at his belt. He brushed his fingers against the ornament he had taken from her. He wondered what he should do with it, perhaps he should throw it away, or maybe return it to her when next they fought. He shook his head to clear himself of his distractions. He turned to his companions and spoke.

"Alright, I'll get in position. Remember to stay hidden until I give the signal."

Aang and Katara gave their agreement and Sokka left them to their task. He darted along in the shadow until he came to the building. The palace wall had been plated with metal to prevent earthbenders from successfully taking it down or breaking in. Sokka considered it to be a boon, for the metal plate provided better hand holds. Overlapping steel panels and protruding bolts were easier to grasp than the small crevices in the walls of the lower tiers. Soon he was high up on the wall, passing by balconies unseen.

He was nearly on the top of the building when he caught the faint scent of something familiar through one of the last balconies. He paused as his heartbeat quickened. He spared a quick glance into the room within and saw that it was empty, although a few lamps were dimly lit. He decided to push past it, but stopped again almost instantly. He had gotten an idea that he was sure would cause him no small amount of catharsis. It would irritate her to no end, but that was part of the appeal. Sparing a quick glance at the courtyard, he determined that he still had another five minutes to get in position, and he was only a few dozen feet away.

Sokka climbed over the railing and into Azula's room.


Aang and Katara watched the palace wall. They knew that Sokka would soon be on the roof, and he would give the signal for them to begin. Katara drew her attention away from the palace for a moment and scanned their surroundings. Seeing nothing in the sparing light of the lamps and torches, she looked up towards where King Bumi was being held. She could almost see him, and she thought she could almost see motion in the sky above them.

She turned her attention back towards where Sokka was climbing, and was just in time to spot her brother ducking into an open balcony.

"What?!" She said in a hoarse whisper.

Aang looked at her and shrugged. "Why would he go in there?"

"Maybe there was something he thought we could use?" Katara said, though she didn't really suspect that to be the case. Aang reached out and tentatively took her hand. She let him and he squeezed lightly. The two watched Sokka in confusion and worry as rain began to fall.


Sokka surveyed the room quickly, and determining that he was alone, he went about his business. He took the hairpiece from his beltpouch and placed it on the desk. Spotting some paper and writing instruments he decided to write a note.

It seems that you're not back yet, so I guess we missed you. Ah, well, some things can't be helped.

As I said before, I am not a thief, so I think I'll return this while you're away. Too bad you couldn't capture me, so better luck next time.

-Sokka

He snickered as he imagined the indignation and outrage that Azula would surely experience when she found the note. He began to feel rather smug, and pleased with himself. As he was rather sure that Azula and her friends couldn't have made it to Omashu yet, he wasn't worried about the note being found before they left with King Bumi. He had been a little surprised that she would have been here at all, but it made sense that she would be staying in the captured city. He wondered if she had known they would be coming here, or if it had been chance.

Taking out Azula's hairpiece, he placed it and the note on the bed before climbing out of the balcony and up the last few dozen feet of the palace wall. Within a few minutes he was in position. He pulled on Koh's shadow and looked for the patrols. He was right on time, as the turtle-duck squad was nearly at the courtyard. He glanced over and could make out Aang and Katara looking at him through the darkness and the rain.

He partially drew out his sword, and the pale white light flashed. He saw recognition in their faces as he plunged Regret into its sheath fully. Aang and Katara stepped further away from the courtyard and into the shadows, but not so much as to be hidden from his sight.

The turtle-duck squad tramped through the courtyard, slightly out of step with each other. They weren't a very good team. He waited for them to make their way through the courtyard and further along their route before he gave the signal.


Aang saw the signal to begin, and he jumped into the air with his glider. Katara stayed on the ground, collecting water from the rain and drinking barrels. Sokka had guessed that the courtyard was being used as a training yard, at least that's why he thought that the barrels were there. She figured it was in case of fire. Either way, it was extremely convenient.

Aang alighted at the top of Bumi's metal box. The old king was snoring happily, as if he did not have a care in the world for being held prisoner in a city that he had ruled for most of his life. Aang hung onto the side of the cell and tried to rouse his friend.

"Bumi! Wake up!" He said, gently blowing wind in the old man's face. Bumi jerked his head around with a snort, and recognizing Aang, he said, "Where's Momo?"

Aang smiled and huffed a small laugh. Bumi was the same, just as he remembered him.

"He's with Appa. We're getting you out of here, so just hold on tight." Aang began to pull up some of the water that Katara was gathering, but he stopped when Bumi spoke again.

"Hold on a minute, Aang, let's not be too hasty!"

"What? Why not? We've only got a few minutes before the Ostrich-horse squad gets here! They're one of the best squads!"

Bumi nodded in agreement, but asked, "Animal names in relation to the efficiency of the squads?"

"Yeah, we got lucky and got here in time to do this with the Turtle-ducks, but we still have to-"

"I can't go with you Aang. I need to stay here." Bum cut him off.

"I- what? Why?" Aang said, nearly losing his grip on the box in surprise.

"When the Fire Nation began their assault on the city, I knew that the cost of defense would be too great, and that a better opportunity to defeat them would soon present itself. I know I had to wait and listen for the right time to fight off the Fire Lord's army, otherwise I wouldn't be able to defeat them at all."

"Wait, so you're just… waiting?" Aang said in astonishment. The rain pattered against the metal prison the Bumi was locked in. Water streamed down the Avatar's face and into his open mouth. He shut it promptly. "But you're trapped in this box, how can you do anything?"

"Trapped? No, I'm not trapped. I can get out if I want." Bumi said with a delighted grin.

"Wh- how?" Aang asked. Bumi chuckled and then screwed up his face. A stone flew up and landed in Bumi's mouth. Aang recognized it as the rock candy that his oldest friend was so partial to.

"You can still earthbend?" He asked, once more astounded by the mad genius. Bumi swallowed and nodded.

"Of course I can! They didn't cover my face! Anyway, like I said, you've got to get out of here. I'm fine, and I'm waiting for the right moment to strike."

Aang hung his head. "But, if I leave you behind, who is going to teach me earthbending?"

Bumi looked at him thoughtfully. "Aang, the key to earthbending is to wait and listen for the right moment. Firebenders make their own openings, and waterbenders use their opponent's energy against them. When you find someone who waits and listens before they move, then you will find your teacher."


Azula walked with Ty Lee towards her room. They had just come out of the bathing wing. Azula was rather annoyed that her quarters did not have their own attached bath, but somehow the palace had been equipped with an entire wing of individual bathing chambers. What had the foolish monarch been thinking? At least they weren't communal. Not that Azula would have deigned to use such a thing. She would have ordered the wing vacated until she had finished, and that was the worst case scenario.

"So, yeah, I think I'll go back to the circus when everything is over. Or maybe I'll join the royal guards! Wouldn't that be great?! I could be your guard when you become the Fire Lord!" Ty Lee said. Azula laughed at the thought.

"I don't think you have what it takes to be a royal guard, Ty Lee." She said, and Ty Lee pouted.

"What? I can fight!"

"I know that Ty Lee, but I can't see you strutting around at attention all day. Besides, you already said you don't like how stiff the soldiers act." Azula said.

"When did I say that?" Ty Lee asked, raising her brows curiously.

"Oh, back when all of this started, on Zhao's ship. You remember, you made us eat breakfast in the galley." Azula answered.

"Oh, yeah… I had forgotten. I guess since we haven't been on a ship for a while it slipped my mind." Ty Lee said, and she changed the subject without segue. "When do you think that Mai's going to be done?"

Azula raised an eyebrow. Mai had gone to spend time with her mother and infant brother, while her father sat through a meeting with some of his officials. Azula hadn't bothered asking about the meeting, assuming that if it was important she'd hear about it.

"I don't really care. When she gets bored, I assume." Azula said, and Ty Lee accepted that answer. They reached Azula's room and went inside. Azula thought she saw a flash of movement at her balcony.

"Did you see that?" She asked Ty Lee. The acrobat shook her head.

"I saw something moving out on the balcony." Azula said and she ignited a blue fireball in her hand. Her bending had returned shortly before they arrived at Omashu. She walked out to the balcony and scanned the small space. She didn't see anything, and when she looked over the edge, she didn't spy anything through the darkness. She narrowed her eyes. She quickly looked up, but couldn't see anything above her in the rain.

"Azula…" Ty Lee said from inside her room. Azula came inside and shut the door to the balcony. They were a hundred feet off the ground, so she hadn't bothered to close this door. Now though…

"What is it, Ty Lee?" She answered her friend. Ty Lee was standing beside the bed, holding something in her hands. When she turned, Azula saw that it was her hair piece. The one that had been taken from her hours ago.

Azula's eyes widened, and she took the ornament from Ty Lee.

"I thought you lost this… didn't Sokka take it from you?"

Azula didn't answer. She looked around the room warily, as if expecting an attack. Her eyes landed on the bed, where she found a folded sheet of paper. She took it and unfolded it, and quickly she read the note. She stood rigid for a moment, and then dropped the note back on the bed. He had been here, just moments ago, and he was likely the source of movement that she had detected on the balcony. He couldn't have gotten far, if he was here, then the Avatar might be here too.

King Bumi. he had said that he and the airbender were friends, and going off what she knew of the annoying little monk, she assumed that he would try to rescue the old man.

"Sokka was here? In your room?!" Ty Lee said, reading the note for herself, and looking at the ornament in Azual's hand. Ty Lee smiled to herself for a moment, and then frowned.

"He might still be nearby." She said, and her eyes fell on the closed door to the balcony. "We can sound the alarm and capture him. The Avatar might be here too, along with the Sea Wolf."

Azula nodded, but she was still lost in thought. Sokka was clever, why would he risk coming here and leaving a message? Was it a trap of some kind, or did he think she wouldn't have returned to find the message so quickly? "Why would he leave the note? Why would he come here?"

"I…" Ty Lee said, "I think you made an impression."

Azula rolled her eyes. She motioned for Ty Lee to follow her, and they nearly collided with Mai as they exited the room. Azula jerked her head in the direction they were going, and Ty Lee explained the situation as they walked. They found an army captain after one turn down the hallway.

"Captain, send three squads of soldiers to the courtyard where the deposed king is being held. I expect that the Avatar is currently trying to free him. I want you and another squad to come with us up to the roof."

The man saluted and took off to fulfill her orders. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were soon joined by the same captain and a squad of his men. The officer gave a briefing to his soldiers, and gave Azula the amount of time before the other squads would converge on the courtyard. They had five minutes to get into position on the roof.

Azula wasn't sure that there would be anyone up there, but she had determined that it was the most likely rendezvous point for them. If Sokka had gone into her room and then climbed out of the balcony again, then he was likely assigned lookout. Given his ability to see in the dark, she thought that was a reasonable assumption.


Sokka watched in horror as three squad rushed towards the courtyard. They were as of yet unknown to him, and he doubted that they were a routine patrol. He crouched down to the lip of the roof and drew out his boomerang. He grit his teeth as he began to suspect the cause of this sudden change in the patrols.

He struck the boomerang on the edge of the roof, and the symbol of his office reverberated with a sound that carried across the city. Aang and Katara's head whipped around to look in his direction, and he took his Regret in hand. WIth his sword fully drawn, the light would hopefully draw the attention of the forces approaching Aang and Katara.

Seeing an opportunity to at least waylay some of the soldiers, Sokka tossed his boomerang through the air, and it collided with the leading soldiers of the squad nearest his compoins. The man fell to the ground and some of his men tripped over him. The boomerang returned to him, and he caught it. He straightened and heard a slow clapping behind him.

Turning around, he saw Azula and her friends, as well as a squad of soldiers. Azula was smirking at him. Sokka gritted his teeth. So it was his fault then. Leaving the note and hairpiece had been a bad idea.

"Well, color me surprised. You're more of an idiot than I took you for." Azula said dryly.

"An idiot, am I?" He said, and then he raised a hand to lightly touch his mouth. He saw the corners of Azula's own twitch, and then it was gone. Ty Lee looked very upset, as she had been dragged out into a rain that she was not ready for. Mai looked like Mai.

"Do you not understand? Let me rephrase. Dumb. Slow. Unenlightened. Dim. Shall I go on?"

"Are you done questioning my intelligence? I've got plans tonight so…" Sokka quipped back.

"Oh, no, you misunderstand. I am not questioning your intelligence. I'm denying its existence entirely."

Sokka snorted beside himself. He rolled his eyes and took a ready stance. He opened his third eye. He observed the soldiers with it and felt a cold knot of dread form in his stomach. One of the soldiers was taken. Completely taken by the… Rot. Sokka took a breath and focused on the gate in his mind. He opened it fully and let the power flow unchecked.

Had there been light from the moon, or had the torches and storm lanterns been lit, the Fire Nation assembled against him would have seen a shadow stretch across the ground towards them. They would have seen it writhe and curl with a life of its own. But, the only light to be found was that of Sokka's sword, and it was not strong enough to show them the truth.


Katara heard the sound of her brother's weapon. She whipped her head in his direction and watched him draw Regret. She saw him toss his boomerang and heard a crash not far from them.

"Aang!" She shouted, "We need to get out of here!"

She whipped her arms in the circular motions her master had ordered her to practice for hours and she rose into the air on a small water spout. She poured more of the rain into it and rose higher. Aang looked down at her from his perch and said something to Bumi before leaping off of the man's cell. He blasted dual currents of air past her and toppled two full squads of soldiers. He formed an airscooter and the pair of them raced toward Sokka.

Katara dropped her water spout and formed a mass of liquid tentacles around herself as she scaled the side of the palace. In moments they were at the top and found Sokka in the fight of his life. A full squad of soldiers attacked him in coordinated strikes, and he could only just avoid them. A spear plunged towards his chest, and he narrowly cut the head off before it skewered him.

"I want him alive!" Azula snapped as she sent a blast of concentrated fire towards Aang. "None of them are to be killed!"

Katara dove into the throng of soldiers and helped her brother gain breathing room. He nodded to her in thanks and continued to fight. He swung his sword around them just in time to deflect the knives that Mai had hurled in their direction. Even still, between all of the soldiers, Azula, and Mai, Ty Lee got in close and immobilized Katara.

Seeing his sister collapse to the ground, Sokka roared in fury. The cry caused the men around him to pause for a split second in fear, and that was the opening that Sokka needed. He swung regret around with prodigious speed. Frost had coated the blade, leaving it as white as the moon.

Sokka kicked one man in the chest and sent him rolling across the roof. Aang leaped beside him from nowhere and sounded a blast on his bison whistle. Lashed out with his foot and both hands, leaning back as he blasted multiple soldiers away from them.

Katara managed to get to her feet unsteadily, but she was unable to waterbend. She took up a position between the two boys who fended off the Fire Nation. There were few left to face them. All that remained in fighting shape were Azula and her friends, two firebenders and the man who had been taken by the spirit-rotting effect of Vaatu.

The Fire Nation surrounded them. Azula took a firebending stance.

"Bumi?" Sokka asked, watching their enemy warily.

Aang shook his head. "He's not coming with us. We've got to move on."

"Can you do anything about that light?" Katara asked, "It's telling them exactly where you are! If it weren't for that, it'd be too dark for them to…"

Sokka realized what she was getting at. He thought that Azula was right, he was an idiot. He would have a far better time fighting them if it was completely dark, and if his sword wasn't giving off light. He focused Koh's shadow and felt the familiar tugging sensation in the back of his mind. Darkness spread out across the blade from the word he had written in his own blood. Within a second, they were in near complete blackness.

The firebenders didn't intend to stand by to let their prey escape. Immediately, the firebenders, save for Azula, loosed three jets of flame at the group. Aang dispelled the fire with a quick kick of wind, and Sokka pulled Katara behind him.

A familiar groan sounded, and Appa landed close by. Sokka hauled his sister over to the bison and she managed to see him through the sporadic flares of the firebenders. She began to climb, and Sokka ran back toward Aang. He deflected another of Mai's knives, and he wondered briefly how she could possibly see him well enough to be so accurate.

Aang heard Appa groan and ran toward the sound. He couldn't see his animal companion until he was only a few feet away. The rain and the late hour made it nearly impossible to see farther than a few feet, and even that was difficult. He leapt on the saddle and hissed, "Katara? Sokka?"

"Sokka's not back yet!" Katara said back.

Sokka could hear them whispering through the rain, but he paid them no mind at that moment. He felt sick to his stomach, and his hands were unsteady. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were silent. They scanned the darkness and listened. Sokka paid them no heed either, nor the two uncorrupt firebenders. His full attention was given to the one man who had been fully taken by Vaatu.

He wanted to leave, to turn his back on the man and never see him again. He thought maybe he would recover from the poison in his heart, perhaps like Zuko had. But could he? Was it even possible to come back when there was no good in him? Sokka shuddered. He turned to go, but ten words echoed through his mind. The price of mercy shall weigh heavy on your shoulders.

He remembered another night when he had fled from Azula. Aang had stayed his hand, and they showed a different man mercy. He knew well what that had wrought, and he would never forget. He took Regret in both hands, and in a moment it was over. A body fell, but it did not hit the ground. Sokka looked all around, but the man was gone. One second he was there, and the next he was not. What had happened to him.

He searched silently for a moment, hoping that he was mistaken, praying that he could take it back, that the man still lived and he could be saved from the rotting evil. No matter where he looked, the man was gone. Sokka hoped that he had escaped him.


There was a scraping of footsteps. A man was walking around, angry and confused. He was a firebender, taken wholly by Vaatu. His spirit had been corrupted and destroyed. He stumbled around the dark cave, trying desperately to find a way out.

"Hello? Tell me where I am or I'll burn it out of you!" He snapped. He told no lie, for he had done so before to countless prisoners.

"Burn it out of me?" A hideous voice asked. The sound of scuttling filled the air. The man shot fire toward the voice, but hit nothing.

"No, I don't think you will." Said Koh.


Author's Note

Thank you to the wonderful individual who beta read this for me. Also, I hope the highlights don't transfer when I post this.

And that ends the first major arc of Part Two. Although, Zuko's first arc ended a little earlier.

12/19/22